As the importance of nation branding and reputation management grew in importance, a need was felt by the different constituents of the South African government — South African tourism, the departments of trade and industry, and foreign affairs — to carve a more coherent positioning than ‘Rainbow Nation’.

For the next month, South Africans everywhere will be asked how they feel about the World Cup coming to their country. Many no doubt will talk about their pride, how they feel that a megaevent will give South Africa a chance to put its best foot forward before the world.

USC Ph.D candidate Jade Miller explores soccer’s ability to unify and divide nations, and draws upon examples from this year’s World Cup tournament.

As a new member of the blog team, I'd like to note this report I recently published regarding the public diplomacy implications and opportunities surrounding the 2006 FIFA World Cup. A summary follows.